The mayor of San Carlos died suddenly Tuesday morning, hours after attending a City Council hearing that went late into the evening.
Omar Ahmad died after calling 911 around 7 a.m. with reports of severe chest pains, and died en route to the hospital, according to city officials.
The 46-year-old had served on the San Carlos City Council since 2007 and was sworn in as mayor in November. He was an engineer and entrepreneur who moved to the Bay Area in 1998 to work in Silicon Valley. He was also a pilot, photographer and mountaineer.

City agencies across the Bay Area lowered their flags Tuesday in honor of San Carlos Mayor Omar Ahmad, who died earlier in the day after what was believed to be a heart attack.

Ahmad, who was 46, presided over a City Council meeting until 10:30 Monday night and appeared upbeat and energetic, said Assistant City Manager Brian Moura. The news of his death left officials "in a state of disbelief," he said.

Paramedics responded to Mr. Ahmad's 911 call from home around 7 a.m. Tuesday and rushed him to Sequoia Hospital, in Redwood City, where he was pronounced dead.

Mr. Ahmad, who was elected to the San Carlos council in 2007, was believed to be only the second Muslim to become mayor of an American city when his council colleagues chose him for the post in November.

He helped close a $3.5 million deficit for 2010 and left the city with a $400,000 surplus, said City Manager Jeff Maltbie. It brought an end to the city's "darkest financial time" in several decades, 11 years of cuts and "F.U.D." - fear, uncertainty and doubt - as Mr. Ahmad would call it, he said.

"The way Omar would combat F.U.D. was to be honest and direct and provide as much information as he could about the financial situation to the public," Maltbie said. "It was a very successful approach."

He grew up in Florida and attended the University of Florida, and in the late 1990s moved to the Bay Area, where he got involved in startups including Napster, Netscape and most recently, SynCH Energy Corp.

Mr. Ahmad had a reputation as a thoughtful man with a big heart. He was "a supreme connector and helped people selflessly" in a world often characterized by competition, said Shahed Amanullah, 43, a friend for 10 years.

"He would organize this event every year called 'Muslim Christmas,' " Memon said. "A bunch of us would get together and go to a restaurant and a movie. He would dress in a Santa Claus hat and that was a way of embracing the duality of his Muslim background and American culture."

Mr. Ahmad is survived by his father, Iftikhar Ahmad; his mother, Nadira Ahmad; and sisters Leah Berry and Fataima Warner.

A memorial service will be held today at 1:30 p.m. at the Yaseen Foundation, 621 Masonic Way, Belmont. A civic-oriented service is being planned for later this week.